The International Renewable Energy Agency's (IRENA) General Assembly elected Egypt on Saturday to be president for its sixth session, held in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday and Sunday, MENA reported.

Egypt's Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker is currently heading an Egyptian delegation at the two-day session.

"Sustainable development depends on the richness of renewable energy resources," said Shaker who is presiding over the assembly, as quoted by IRENA's press release on Saturday.

"I am confident in IRENA's ability to perform its mission of mobilising the entire world's efforts to build more sustainable economies, which rely mainly on renewable energy sources."

The session focuses on the important role played by renewable energy in fighting climate change and reaching sustainable development goals.

The assembly, the first intergovernmental meeting after December's UN climate conference in Paris, is to discuss strategies to spread the use of renewable energy.

Government officials from 10 countries and representatives from 140 international organisations are attending the conference.

IRENA helps to promote the use of renewable energy (such as wind and solar power, and bioenergy) by offering data and analysis, advice on policy development, insight into technology expertise and a large number of publications and resources, according to the agency's website.

The Abu-Dhabi-based agency was officially founded in January 2009 and its first session was held on 16 August 2011.

The agency now includes 144 member states in addition to the European Union.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said in January 2015 there are plans for renewable energy sources to contribute to 20 percent of Egyptian energy production by 2020.